Shoe and method of making the same



April 27 1926.

F'. M. FURBER sHoE AND METHOD of' MAKING THE SAME Filed Nov. 24, 1917 lll Patented Apr. 27, 1:926.

UNITED gSTATES' e/TENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK M. FURBER, F REVERE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE AS- SIGNMENTS, T0 UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION,l 0F PATERSON, NEW

. JERSEY, A. CORPORATION 0F NEW JERSEY.

SHOE .AND METHOD 0F MAKING THE SAME.

Application filed November 24, 1917. Serial No. 203,802.

. To aZZ whom it may comer/n.:

Be it known that I. FnEoEaIoK M, FUR- BER, a citizen of the United States, `residing at Revere, in the county of, Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, 'have invented certain 'Im'- provements 1in Shoes and Methods o f Making the Same, of which the following description, iirconnection with the accompanying drawings, is a' specification, like reference `characters on-the drawings indicating llike parts nthe several figures.

This-invention relates to the manufacture of slices and has for its principal object to effect economies in the manufacture of welt 1Q shoes although, in certain aspects, the invention is not limited to that type of shoes. Shoes manufactured according to the Welt system are recognized as the best shoes made,

possessingv the best appearance, giving most comfort and affording facilities for most satisfactory repair. Welt shoes are therefore worth more than other kinds of shoes, but they also cost more'to manufacture, so lthat there continue to be manyk shoes made and worn` which do not possess the advanages of the welt shoe. l'This inventionsubstantially reduces' two items of welt "shoe costs so that they compare favorably with tie corresponding costs in making McKay -s oes. The excellence of appearance of a Good- A year welt shoe is secured in part by main- -taining the shoe onits last t rough'out the sole laying, the sole leveling and the finishing operations. This provides that the entire sole, including its bottom, shall be shaped to the last for which the shoe was d'esigned and shall set onthe last, or dry sufficiently on the'last, to retain permanently the shape which .it was -designed to have. This requires for thel manufacture of each pair of shoes the use of a pair of lasts for approximately an entire week, as welt shce manufacture is now conducted in an orderly factory.' A pair of good lasts costs between one and one and a half dollars and,.as the seasonV during which aF given stylev of lastis popular is liable t0 be short, many welt shoe manufacturers calculate that they can average to make no more than ten pairs of shoes lon a pair of lasts: in other words, that they charge ofi as' depreciation ten percent of the c0s tof the pair of lasts for each 0f the first ten pairs of shoes. While these figures will vary for different styles and in different factories, it will be readily seen that this system puts a very heav last expense into the cost of a welt s oe. In making McKay shoes, the last is withdrawn from the shoe as soon as the shoe is lasted and is immediately available for use in making another shoe. The number of lasts required for a given daily output of a McKay factory is therefore very much less than for a corresponding output of welt shoes and the last expense for a McKay shoe is only a fraction of what must be charged into the costs of a welt shoe. The method of the present invention substantially reduces the time during which a pair of lasts must be used in making a pair of shoes, and therefore the last expense chargeable toa pair of welt shoes. This is accomplished by transferring several operations, heretofore performed while the shoe is on its last, to a differentpoint in the shoemaking processes, where welt shoe bottoms, each comprising a sole and an attached bottom filler both shaped'substantially to the curvatures of the insole, when it is fitted to the last bot- 5 `tom, and with or without a shank stiffener,

are manufactured and preferably accumulated as complete units, ready for application to the shoe at a single operation.` This procedure is effected with asubstantial saving in labor because the parts of-the shoe bottom can be handled and assembledwith greater facility and econom by this method than when they are applie to the shoe one after another: These economies in.. manu facturing and accumulating welt shoe bottems as complete units further contribute to i 'the reduction in costs of production of welt shoes.

By this method of Apreparin the bottom for a weltshoe as an assemb ed unit applicable to the shoe in one operation, the t1me 1s saved, in the shoemaking process on the last, which was heretofore required for the five individual operations of shank attaching, application of fillingv material, drymgqof filling material, cementing of filled shoebottom, and rough roundin of the sole after sole laying. It shoul be appreciated that this saving is .not merely of 105 the timev actually consumed' in performing these five operations on a shoe. In a modern shoe factory system shoes go along in case lots (seventy-two pairs, or whatever the size of the case may be), each case on a rack, and each operation delays the progress of the case while every one of the shoes of the case is being operated upon. The saving in time in the use of the last, therefore, yis; something` like live times seventytwo times the length of an individual operation. A

This method of making welt shoes affords opportunity for securing another advantage contributing to good shoemaking and economy of production. Each sole may be and preferably is prepared, as by dieing out, to have approximately the size. and contour required for the size and style of the shoe of which the shoe bottom is to'become a part, and the bottom filler may be shaped to be inserted in the recess within the inseam of the welt shoe and may be secured to the sole with its edge in predetermined relation to the edge of the sole so that it will constitute a gage by which the workman will correctly position the sole by locating the filler properly within the inseam. Advantageously also the sole is molded so that when the shoe bottom is laid upon a welted shoe it conforms to the longitudinal and transverse curvaturesy of the last and the usual leveling or beatin@ out operation may be dispensed with or abbreviated, as well as the usual sole rounding operation omitted.

Furthermore, the invention comprises other novel steps in methods of preparing shoe bottoms such as applying an adhesive and a shank stiifener to one surface of a sole and then applying a sheet filler to the adhesive and the stiflener, the parts being preferably subjected to heat and pressure to produce a unitary structure. Applicant believes himself to be the first also to unite a shankV stiffener and 'a sheet bottom filler, which is capable of developing adhesiveness underY heat, by pressing them together while the stiifener is in heated condition.`

Viewed in other aspects, the invention also comprehends a shoe, a bottom. unit and a filler, each as a novel article of manufacture. From this standpoint, the invention provides a novel Welt shoe in which the outsole is relatively flatter than theinsole and in which there Iis -interposed between the soles a filler of fibrous sheet material im-` filler itself is that a shank stiifener is adhesively secured to and preferably embedded in the sheet material of the filler.

The invention will now be described with the aid of the accompanying drawings and will then be particularly pointed out in the claims. In order to bring out clearly the features of the invention, certain elements of the shoe bottom are drawn on a somewhatlarger scale than other elements.

Fig. 1 of the drawings is a perspective view of a shoe bottom prepared in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 1il is a side elevation of a died-out sole requiring no rough rounding.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 2 represents a section on line 2*-2 of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section, showing a heel which may be included in the shoe bottom if desired.

Fig. 4 shows in transverse section a welt shoe which may be built in the usual way to and including the operations of attaching the welt and reparing it for the reception of the shoe 1bottom. This figure also illustratesthe step of assembling the prepared shoe bottom, as a complete unit, with the welted shoe and accurately positioning the shoe bottom on the shoe bythe aid of the filler, to present the desired projection of the sole edge at each side of the shoe so that a minimum quantity of sole leather is required and none wasted by a rough rounding operation.

In practising the method of the present invention a welt shoe is lasted or shaped over a last 2 in the usual or any suitableI way and the upper is connected to the insole and a welt 3 attached by the inseam 4 as usual, after which such inseam trimming and welt beating as may be required are performed to make the shoe ready to receive its bottom. The shoe then presents the condition represented in Figyl, there being a recess within the inseam to be occupied by the tillen the function of which is to present, with ,the welt, a substantially continuous surface across the shoe to support the sole.

Meanwhile there will have been produced, and preferably accumulated, a quantity of the shoe bottoms wherever and under whatever conditions production can be carried on to best advantage, as for example in a different department of the factory, suchas the stock-fitting department, or in a separate factory. Such shoe bottoms consist of a sole 5 and a ller 6 and preferably a shank stiliener-7. The sole is preferably cut, or

otherwise made, to the size and shape required for the particular size and style of shoe/ for which it is to be use-d, thus v economizing in leather cst and rendering unnecessary the usual rough rounding operation by which an attached sole is usually yreduced to symmetrical relation to the lastl and thus eliminating anything more than the usual edge smoothing, or trimming, /and finishing operations after the sole is stitched and leveled.- The luse of soles more or less cutl to sizelias heretofore been attempted but withoutgeneral successi because of the difficulty and frequent failure in laying such soles on welt shoes withsufficient accuracy-to enable the sole to be properly stitched to the welt, the loss from imperfect shoes having usually overbalanced the saving elfected. The present invention avoids these diliiculties. In the I first place, the soles are preferably molded to substantially the shape desired in the finished shoe-and so as to correspond to the longitudinal and transverse curvatures of thelast bottom,

and the cutting die is shaped to-.furnish' a sole blank which, when distortedgfrom'fits normal plane by the' molding operationwill produce an accurately shaped sole presenting the correct projection from the lastat every point along the edge vof the sole.- -Such a blank is of course different in shape from the final sole shape at points and to extents F to compensate for the distortion required 3" to iit the particular style of last'upon lwhich.

it is to be used, these differences, and consequently the proper shape for the die, being determined for eachv style of last separately. After the sole blank has been molded, the filler 6 is accurately located on the-,molded sole'.

The iller 6 may be cut from suitable sheet stock which is preferably permanently pli- P able, such for example as loose felt heavily 4" impregnated with asphaltum, and is given a contour to fit approximately the recessV within the inseaml of thesize and style `of shoe of which it is to become a part. The illermay also'be formed at certain points by ,pressure or by removal of stock so as to have a varying thickness corresponding approximately tothe space at different points .between the soles when assembled and it.

thus presents a lower face to fit the longitudinal and transverse curvatures of the last vand insole and a more or less plane upper face to 'form withthe welt a base for asole that is to present a tread whichis transversely more nearlystraight than is the last bottom. The ller is accurately. located on the inner or' flesh face of the molded sole with the edge of the filler in predetermined relation Vto the edge of the sole and it is secured to the sole in such position that when it isrinsertedwithin the recess -in the weltedI shoe the sole connectedto the filler will "presnt the rdesired edge projection from the \s oe.

l Preferably Athe sha-nk stili'ener 7 is mplded to the desired shape and is suitably incor porated with the sole and filler. An advantageous way of assembling the sole, stiener and filler and of preparing the shoe bottom thus produced for attachment to the shoe consists in applying to the flesh side of the ,-.sole a coating of a suitable adhesive, such as gutta-percha, which may advantageously be a stripe of gutta-percha solution, indicated at 9 on the' drawings and located a short distance inside the edge of the sole face so that it will not spread into a position where it will interfere with anyedge trimming or edge finishing of thesole. It is not necessary to coat the entire surface of the sole, as shown in Fig. 1, but the 'guttaipercha may be applied as a stripe upon that marginal, portion of the sole which is .to engage with the welt .and preferably entendil inginwardly -far 4enough'to form a conIfec-` tion.between the filler and the sole. The I gutta-percha l having' preferably located on the sole face and then the filler applied in proper position and held "with pressure u on the heated shank stiffener-and upon t e portion of the sole coated with gutta-percha until adequate adhesion of the several parts has been effected, the heat of the stifl'ener developing local adhesivenessin the liller into which .the stifener becomes embedded, as clearly shown in'Figs. 2 and 28,-with the result that a firm permanent connection between the two is secured. Preferably the sole is molded as a separate article previous to the assembling operation above described, and the stiifener is prefer- -ably molded to the contour of vthe sole. A heel 8, Fig. 3, may be included in the composite shoe bottom, if desired, and may be drilled as indicated, to facilitate attachment to the shoe from theV inside, as by screws.

produced as described orv otherwise, and

preferably a quantity of shoe bottoms havl been applied, the` shank stiiener previously heated may bei The shoe bottom, including the s ol'e, filler i and preferably the stii`ener, hav1ng been f to the shoe as a unit in a single operation i i immediately after the welt has been attached and pre-pared. In applying. the shoe bottom the workman. uses the filler as a gaging means to locate the sole by introducing the filler into the recess within the inseam of the 'shoe as indicated in Fig. 4, and forcing the toe end of the-ller firmly against the front wall of A the recess.- In other words, this provides for properly locating the shoel botc tofn by the aid of thellen ThisV insures that the sole will be applied orlaid on'its shoe so as to resentNdie exact edge pro`}ec tion desired. reparatoryt\0 laying the solei-tl/w it lwill advantageously be heated to render tacky for adhesive the portion of the guttapercha lying outside the filler so that it will adhere readily to the welt. One reason for preferring to use gutta-percha is that it promptly stiffens in the atmosphere so that it is not tacky at ordinary-temperatures but becomes tacky in response to a moderate degree of heat and when so warmed readily adheres to the welt without necessity for coating the welt with any adhesive. Most forms of cement and glue give satisfactory results only when both of the surfaces to be connected have been coated. A convenient system of handling shoe bottoms preparatory to sole laying is to magazine them in portable holders and warm each holder with its entire contents by storing it in or passing it through a warming chamber or room. 'lhe shoe bottom maythen be applied as described to the welted shoe and by holding it under pressure upon the shoe for a brief interval it will adhere firmly to thewelt, and the shoe will then be in condition for the usual stitching operation, by which the sole is permanently connected to the welt, as by the stitches l0, no preliminary or rough rounding to cut away excess sole stock being re uired.

Sy this method of manufacturing the shoe bottom and applying it as a unit in one operation, the tim'e during whichthe last is employed in a shoe is reduced by the aggregate of time that would have been required to apply the shanks to a case of shoes, 'transfer the case to the bottom filling station and apply the filling to the ease of shoes, the two to six hours required to allow the usual bottom filling to set, and the time required for` the usual sole rounding operation after the sole is laid and before it can be stitched. These operations aggregate time enough to save at least a whole day in putting shoes through the factory and in the` employment of the lasts, thereby making the lasts available one day sooner to `be used again in making other shoes. Another important advantage for this method is that by accumulating shoe bottoms in quantities ready for application to the shoes as a unit in a single operation, and thereby reducing the number of consecutive operations to be performed between welt beating `and sole stitching from four or five to one, there is substantially less reduction in efficiency and production by the inevitable delays in the continuous process of bottoming shoes, such for example as result from the break-down of machines, the failure of a steady supply of materials, the absence of a workman and the consequent failure to keep the work moving to the next workman.

1. That improvement in methods of making Welt shoes which consists in making independently two units of a shoe, one of said units comprising a connected upper, ribbed insole and welt on a last and the other unit comprising an outsole with an attached bottom filler, the outsole having approximately its final contour and both outsole and filler being shaped substantially to fit the curvatures of the insole on the last bottom, and then assembling said two units accurately in iinal relationship by fitting the margin of the filler within and against the insole rib.

2. That improvement in methods of making welt shoes which consists in preparing a welt shoe by lasting, welting and inseam trimming; preparing a shoe bottom by shap` ing a sole to substantially its final contour and vertical curvatures, adhesively attaching thereto a filler located to serve as a guide in placing the sole on the shoe, and incorporatingwith said sole and filler under heat a shank stiffener; centering said bottom on the shoe by the aid of the filler; and permanently attaching said bottom to the shoe.

3. That improvement in methods ofmaking welt shoes which consists in preparing a welt shoe by lasting, welting and inseam trimming; preparing a shoe bottom, consisting of a sole, filler and shank stifiener,^as a complete unit, the sole and filler being connected by adhesive; and assembling said unit with the prepared shoe and permanently attaching it.

4. That improvement in methods of making welt shoes which consists ,in accumulating as complete units shoe bottoms each of which consists of a substantially finally shapedimperforate outsole and a bottom filler attached to it; building the shoes ready for the bottoms; and applying each complete shoe bottom unit in a single operation.

5. That improvement in methods o f mak- A ing welt shoes which consists in cutting a sole substantially to its final outline, attaching thereto yby adhesive a bottom filler which is so contoured that it will fit the recess within the inseam of a shoe and is so located on the sole that when fitted within said recess it lwill position the sole properly upon the shoe, and assembling said sole and attached filler with a welted shoe.

6. That improvement in methods of making welt shoes which consists in imparting to a sole approximately its final lateral contour, securing adhesively to the sole a bottom filler. impregnated with .asphaltic material and shaped to fit the recess within the inseam of a welted shoe, and assembling said sole and a lwelted shoe while using the filler as locating means to position the sole in predetermined lateral relation to the welted shoe.l 7. That improvement in methods of making welt shoes which consists in cutting a sole blank from a plane sheet of sole stock maant@ i to a shape differing in size and shape from the sole finally to be `produced in such respects determined for each particular style of last that when molded to it the longilocation of the iller on the sole is maintained, and assembling the sole and iller on the shoe and relatively locating the same by applying said filler to said recess in the welted shoe.

8. Tha-t ,improvement in methods of making welt shoes which consists in imparting to a sole approximately itslateral contour, .applying to the flesh side of the sole a coating of adhesive, superposing upon the coated surface a bottom filler shaped to fit the recess within the inseam of a welted shoe, and then applying the assembled sole and illerqto the welted shoe and connecting the sole t'o the weltby pressing the adhesive l coated marginal surface of the sole outsidle the filler into engagement with the we t.

9. That improvement in methods of making welt shoes which consists in applying to the liesh side of a sole a coat of material which is Vadhesive when applied' and will stiie'n when allowed to dry but will again become adhesive upon being warmed, superposin a bottom filler upon the adhesive coate surface of the sole, lasting and welting 'a shoe, Warming the adhesive coated marginal portion of the sole to render the adhesive tac upon the we ted shoe and connecting the sole and welt by pressing the adhesive coated marginal portion of the sole into engagement with the welt. Y

10.'That improvement in methods of making welt shoes which consists inapplly- .ing an adhesive to one side of a molded so then applying thereto a. shank stiii'ener and also a sheet bottom filler of a shape substantially to fit within the inseam'of the shoe and then subjecting all ofthe parts to pressure to produce a unitarystructure.

11. -That improvementin methods of 'making welt shoes which-gegfconsists in applying .an adhesive :to one sidefof a sole, then applying thereto ashank stiener and a sheet bottom filler of as a substantially to fit Within the in then uniting said parts firmly -runderheat and pressure.

12. That improvement in methods of ,assembling the sole and filler o the shoe and making welt shoes which consists in im-v parting to a sole approximately lits final lateral contour and its final longitudinal and transverse .curvatures, locating a sheet bottom filler accurately uponthe sole with its edge in predetermined relation tothe edge of the sole and adhesively uniting. said parts under heat and pressure.

13. That Simprovement in methods .of making welt shoes which consists in imparting to a sole approximately its'nal lateral contour and its final longitudinal and transverse curvatures, preparing a sheet bottom iller shaped to be inserted within the inseam of the shoe .and of a thickness corresponding to the space between the' soles when assembled, then assembling the sole and liller with a moldedshank stiffener therebetween and adhesively uniting'them under heat and pressure.

14: That' improvement in' methods of maklng welt shoes which consists in applymg adhesive to a sole, heating a shank stiflfener and applying it to'thesole, applying a sheet bottom. filler impregnated with as- `phaltic material to the sole over-the shank s tiffener and in accurate predeterminedrelation to the lateral contour of the sole, and then u mtlng said parts under heat and pressure. l

1 5. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consis s in providing a sheet bottom filler capable of developing adhesiveness under heat and permanently unit-v ing the filler and a sh-ank stiii'ener by Apressing'them together while the stitfener is in heated condition.

16. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in providing a sheet bottom filler impregnated with asphaltic material, heatin ashank stiflener and then embedding it w ile hot in one face ofthe iller. L

17. That improvement in methods of mak- .ing welt shoes which consists in imparting to a sole av lateral contour and longitudinaland transverse curvatures corresponding approximately to the shape of a last bottom, molding `a shank sitiflener tov correspond tothe curvature of the sole, assembhng the sole and a sheet bottom filler with the shankl stiii'enertherebetween and adhesively uniting said parts under pressure.

18. Asan article of manufacture, a bottom unit for a welt shoe comprising an outsole molded `approximately to the longitudinal and transverse curvatures of a last bottom and an attached filler of sheet material and of varying thickness which is flatter on its tom unit for a Welt shoe comprising an out-1 sole molded approximately to the longltudinal and transverse curvatures of a last bot 13 OllSOle engaging side than upon its reverse i Y toms which consists in .applying a heated tom and having approximately its final 1at' eral contour and a filler of .sheet material and of varying thickness adhesively attached to the outsole and fitting the upper side thereof, said filler presenting at its opposite sidev a surface of greater curvature which corresponds closely to that of the last bottom.

20. As an article of manufacture, a bottom unit for a welt shoe comprising a molded outsole, a molded shank stiflener and a sheet bottom filler of a shape substantially fitting within the inseam of the shoe, all adhesively secured together.

2l. As an article of manufacture, a bottom unit for a welt shoe comprising a molded outsole, a sheet bottom filler impregnated with asphaltic material and a shank stii'ener located between the outsole and filler, both the stiffener and filler being secured to the outsole in accurate predetermined relation to the lateral contour thereof. e

.22. A welt shoe having anupper, a welt, and an insole united by an inseam, an outsole relatively flatter than the insole and stitched tothe welt and an intermediate filler of fibrous sheet material impregnated with binding 4material andl of varying thickness which substantially fills the space between said soles within the inseam both latcially and vertically.

23. `A welt shoe having an upper, a welt, an insole, a molded outsole, a sheet bottom filler substantially fitting within the inseam and having a thickness corresponding to the space between said soles, together with a molded shank stiffener adhesively secured between the filler and outsole.

24. A welt shoe having an upper, a welt, an insole, a molded outsole, a fibrous sheet bottom filler impregnatedl with asphaltic material and adhesively connected to` the outsole, together with a molded shank stili'- ener between the filler and the outsole and in a predetermined relation to the lateral contour of the outsole.

25. The method of preparing shoe bottoms which consists in applying a heated shank stiii'eiier to a sole, andapplying to the sole over the stifl'ener a sheet filler capable of developing adhesiveness under heat.

26. The method of preparing shoe bottoms which consists in applying an adhesive and` a shank stifiener to one surface of a sole, and then applying a sheet filler to the adhesive and the stitfener.

27. The method of preparing shoe botshank stiffener to a sole, applying over the stifiener a sheet filler capable of developing adhesiveness under heat and then subjecting all of the parts to pressure to produce a unitary structure.

28. The method of preparing shoe bottoms which consists in applying an adhesive J29. That improvement in methods of mak-` ing welt shoes which comprises producing .a lasted shoe with a welt attached, preparing a filler member adapted to be inserted in the recess within the inseam, shaping an outsole to approximately its final contour, attaching the ller member to the outsole with the edge contour of the filler member in such relation to the edge contour of the outsole that when the outsole is applied to the shoe with the filler member within the inseam the outsole will have the desired edge projection, locating the outsole on the shoe by positioning` the toe end of the filler against the front wall of the recess within the inseam, and securing the outsole to the welt.

30. That improvement in methods of making Welt shoes which comprises producing a lasted shoe with awelt attached, preparing 'a filler member of varying thickness shaped approximately to fit the recess within the inseam both laterally and vertically, shaping an outsole to approximately its final contour, accurately locating the 4filler member on the inner face of the outsole and securing it thereto in such position that when the outsole is applied to the shoe with the filler member engaging the rib of the inseam the outsole will have the desired edge projection, and using the filler member as ya aging means in applying the outsole to the s oe.

31. That improvement in methods of making welt shoes which comprises roducing a lasted shoe with a welt attached), preparing a filler member shaped to be inserte-d in the recess within the inseam, shaping an outsole to approximately its final contour, attaching the filler member to the outsole with the edge of the filler in predetermined relation to the edge of the outsole, and using .the filler member as a gaging means in locating the outsole on the shoe and thereby ensuring the desired edge projection for the outsole.

32. That improvement in methods of making welt shoes which comprises producing a lasted shoe with a welt attached, sha ing an outsole to give it substantially the e ge con-iI tour desired in the finished shoe, moldin g the outsole to impart to it approximately the 3.3. That improvement in methods of mak-i?.

ying Welt shoes Which comprises producing a lasted shoe with a Welt attached, shaping an outsole to give itsubstantially the edge contour desired in the finished shoe, securing tothe outsole a shank stiffener and a filler member, said filler member being shaped to be inserted in the recess within the 4inseam and'being attached to the outsole with the edge of the filler in predetermined relation to the edge of the outsole. and using the filler as a gaging means in locating the outsole and thereby ensuring the desired edge projection for the outsole.

34. That improvement in methods of making shoes Which comprises producing a lasted shoe, preparing a shoe bottom unit by assembling an outsole, a shank stiffener and a sheet ller member of fibrous material and binding material, and subjecting the said parts of the unit with an adhesive to pressure to produce a unitary structure, then applying said unit to the shoe and fastening it thereto.

35,. That improvement in methods of making Welt shoes which comprises producing a lasted shoelvvith a welt attached,.preparing a shoe bottom unit by assembling with an adhesive and in predetermined relation an outsole, a shank stiffener and a sheet filler member of varying thickness, andsubjectino' the said parts of the unit to pressure Witi heat to produce a unitary structure, then applying said unit to the shoe while using the filler member as a gaging means in locating the unit on the shoe.

36. A filler for shoe bottoms consisting of material comprising sufficient fibre to afford tensile strength, together with binding material capable of being rendered adhesive by heat, and a shank stiffener secured to the fillerby the adhesion. effected by heat.

37. Aller for shoe bottoms consisting of sheet material cut to fit the contour of the forepart and shankof a Welt shoe bottom Within the insole rib and having a shank stifener embedded in it.

38. As an article of manufacture, a bottom unit for a Welt shoe comprising an outsole having approximately its final lateral contour and approximately the longitudinal andl transverse curvatures ofa last bottom in combination with a sheet bottom filler adhesively secured to the outsole with its edge in predetermined relation to the edge of the outsole.

In testimony whereof I name to this specification;

FREDERICK M. FURBER.

have signed my Cil 

